The Sardinians only needed a point to be sure of their return to the top flight, but Coach Massimo Rastelli’s side secured a 3-0 win at the Stadio San Nicola.

Joao Pedro opened the scoring after 24 minutes with a curling finish, but Bari had given possession away with a terrible Marino Defendi throw-in straight at Niccolò Giannetti.

Cagliari doubled their lead straight after the restart with a classic counter-attack set up by Giannetti for Diego Farias.

Bari came very close to snatching one back, but Giuseppe De Luca thumped the upright from close range and on the resulting corner his acrobatic overhead kick was denied by an equally spectacular Marco Storari save, clawing it off the line.

Alberto Cerri, on loan from Juventus, completed the rout and got the party started late on with a strike from 10 yards on Joao Pedro’s pull-back.

“I am proud to be the captain of these lads. We’ve done so much, we deserved it and now we’re going to enjoy it,” ex-Juventus goalkeeper Storari told Sky Sport Italia.

The club only went down last season, but lasted just one campaign in Serie B before climbing back into the top flight.

This was their first Serie B experience since 2003-04 and Cagliari won the Scudetto in 1969-70 with legendary Gigi Riva.